Thunder Down Under: Cyclone Debbie

Before U.S. news reports it

By Vic Midyett

Hurricanes are called cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere. As I write this [at about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday in Western Australia, or 8:45 p.m. Monday, Eastern U.S.], Cyclone Debbie is wreaking havoc already on the East Coast of Australia. The eye is not due to enter the mainland until this afternoon [after midnight Monday, Eastern U.S.]. The East Coast of Australia is already getting 120 mile/hr winds and 8 inches/hr of rain. It is currently rated a Category 4 and expected to go higher. It is huge and very slow moving. Boats, roofs, etc. are already lost.
    Many beautiful towns and places we visited while traveling are in its way. Here on the West Coast, we are enjoying a gorgeous day and about to go grocery shopping!

[Half an hour after writing the above:] The winds are over 130 miles/hr. The cyclone is intensifying and still only traveling at less then 2 miles/hr. Going to be a long day for them.

[At about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday in Western Australia, or 3:15 a.m., Eastern U.S.:] The winds reached 160 mi/hr before Cyclone Debbie was downgraded to a Category 3.

[At about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday in Western Australia, or 3:45 a.m., Eastern U.S.:] Cyclone Debbie is dumping copious amounts of rain on the East Coast of Australia now. One man found himself under a collapsed brick wall. Over the past 30 years the part of Queensland being affected has been hit severely a few times, and all of the newer rebuilt houses were built to withstand Category 5 storms.
    This story in the Newcastle Herald includes photos and a video: “Cyclone Debbie hammers Queensland.”

Copyright © 2017 by Vic Midyett